On a night when the calendar turned and the stakes soared, Julian Champagnie delivered a New Year's Eve performance for the ages, erupting for a career-high 36 points and shattering the San Antonio Spurs' franchise record with 11 three-pointers in a dramatic 134-132 comeback victory over the New York Knicks at Frost Bank Center.
Champagnie, who found himself thrust into the starting lineup due to Devin Vassell's groin strain, seized the moment and then some. Coming into the game having missed 44 of his previous 54 attempts from beyond the arc, few could have predicted the shooting spectacle that would unfold. But the 24-year-old small forward found his rhythm at just the right time, connecting on 11 of 17 shots from deep, and in doing so, surpassed Chuck Person's long-standing Spurs record of nine threes set back in 1997.
"It is hard to imagine where the Spurs’ perimeter game would have been without Champagnie," noted one observer, and for good reason. The rest of the team managed just 3-of-21 from beyond the arc, making Champagnie's performance not just historic, but absolutely essential to the Spurs' victory. With his barrage of threes—including eight in the second half, split evenly between the third and fourth quarters—Champagnie became the first player in NBA history to tally as many as 36 points in a game without attempting a two-point field goal.
But this win was about more than just one hot hand. The Spurs found themselves in a 19-point hole in the second quarter and trailed by 10 again in the third. The Knicks, who had not lost a game all season when leading entering the fourth quarter (19-0), appeared poised to extend that streak. Yet the Spurs, resilient as ever, mounted a furious rally in front of their home crowd, a run fueled by Champagnie's sharpshooting and the all-around brilliance of Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama, the Spurs' superstar center, was dominant before a scare in the fourth quarter. He poured in 31 points on a blistering 10-of-12 from the field, grabbed 13 rebounds, and looked every bit the franchise cornerstone in just 24 minutes of play. However, disaster nearly struck when he landed awkwardly on a rebound attempt, hyperextending his left knee and hobbling straight to the locker room with just over 10 minutes left. Initial tests revealed no major injury, and Wembanyama, ever the competitor, stated, "I expect to play the next game. I don’t know what they (the Spurs doctors) expect." The team scheduled further tests for Thursday, but the sight of Wembanyama cheering from the bench in warmups provided some relief for Spurs fans.
With their centerpiece sidelined, the Spurs leaned on De'Aaron Fox to close out the contest. The 28-year-old point guard scored 26 points—11 of them after Wembanyama's exit—and dished out seven assists. His clutch play down the stretch drew praise from Knicks coach Mike Brown, who remarked, "He’s just a great player, man. The stuff that’s happening here with him, it’s not a surprise to me at all." Fox's two free throws with just under a minute remaining gave San Antonio a lead they would not relinquish, and his steady hand at the line helped secure the win as the game turned into a free-throw contest in the final seconds.
Keldon Johnson chipped in 19 points for the Spurs, while Luke Kornet made a crucial putback layup with 49.2 seconds left to push the lead to three. San Antonio made all six of its free throws in the closing moments, staving off a late Knicks charge led by Jalen Brunson.
Brunson finished with 29 points and eight assists, keeping New York within striking distance throughout. The Knicks, who were without Josh Hart (ankle), Mitchell Robinson (load management), and Landry Shamet (shoulder), saw their bench step up in a big way. Miles McBride, returning from a three-week absence, scored 21 points in 26 minutes, while Jordan Clarkson added 20 in 24 minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists before fouling out late in the fourth. Mikal Bridges tallied 13 points and nearly tied the game with a wide-open three in the final minutes, but his miss proved costly as the Spurs held on.
The Knicks had built a 73-63 lead at halftime, thanks in large part to Towns' 15 first-half points and strong bench play. But their three-game winning streak was snapped, and their perfect record when leading after three quarters was blemished, a testament to the Spurs' never-say-die mentality.
The game also carried a bit of familial intrigue. Nearly a year after his twin brother Justin Champagnie torched the Knicks for a career night as a member of the Washington Wizards, Julian delivered his own masterpiece against New York. The Knicks will have another shot at the Champagnie family when they face Justin and the Wizards on February 3, but for now, it was Julian's night to shine.
San Antonio's victory snapped a two-game skid and improved their record to 24-9, winners of nine of their last eleven games as they prepare to open the new year with a road trip to Indiana. The Spurs have shown remarkable resilience this season, going 9-3 during a previous stretch without Wembanyama, and may need to tap into that depth again depending on the results of his knee evaluation.
As for the Knicks, they'll regroup and look to bounce back when they host the Atlanta Hawks on January 2. Despite the loss, their bench production and overall depth remain strengths as the Eastern Conference race heats up.
In the end, New Year's Eve in San Antonio belonged to Julian Champagnie and the Spurs. A night of records, resilience, and relentless shooting—this one will be remembered for a long time in the Alamo City.
